geokite wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 10:54 pm
Recently I had to swim in for the first time in many, many years. I wasn't wearing a pfd or impact vest, kite was Marabou (not LEI), and the board was a SS 42" DC. So out of the three, only one thing could float me in (the board).
Do you choose your session gear based upon the possibility of having to float in? Either having an LEI kite, or pfd/impact vest, or a board with enough volume to float you?
Is anyone riding a Peak4 with a tray board, no pfd/impact vest?
Hi Geokite.
Yes, I ride a Peak4 with a tray board and no pfd/impact vest. I do wear a wetsuit, short in summer and steamer in cooler months.
I have had a few swims over the years due to gear breakage and a couple of times with the Peak4. One of those times was due to another kiter hitting my lines bringing both of us down however. Whether a Peak4 or inflatable kite, something can fail such as line breakage, harness failure and I've even had my kite bar break in half.
Regardless of the reason for your swim, common sense should always apply. You should have reasonable swimming skills that will support you and even a tray board should have some flotation as will a wetsuit, so make sure you're not going to drown or become hypothermic if you're in the water for a while. So don't go further out than you're prepared to swim or drift back to shore.
You should of course not be kiting in an offshore wind if there's nothing but kms/miles of water downwind of you. With any offshore wind and gear failure the chances of getting back to shore unless you jettison your gear are slim. So don't do it unless you have guaranteed backup in the form of a rescue facility which keeps an eye on you.
With an onshore or cross onshore wind you will generally end up back on shore. Make sure you don't get hypothermia and as has been mentioned, if the downwind shore is rocky then boots will be needed. Be aware if you have gear failure or can't relaunch and you're a long way from shore, you may be thought of as missing and a search and rescue operation may begin. This can involve authorities who may take a dim view of your behaviour and therefore cast all kiters in a bad light bringing regulations which may reduce kite access to beaches etc. This is not a good outcome. Try and kite with others and you can all watch for each other and deal with any gear/relaunch failure. It's a lot easier and faster to get a mate to tow you back to shore when things go wrong.
As a Peak4 user be prepared to pack your kite down if you can't relaunch. Done carefully you can avoid tangles and it will pack down to a small bundle which won't hinder swimming in too much. Better still, practice relaunching your Peak4 in shallow water. With the correct technique and practice you can usually get your Peak4 back in the air quite quickly if you have wind.